Datsun brand looks to expand its presence globally

Datsun made a re-entry into the world of automotive last year, when Nissan launched the brand in India in March 2014, nearly three decades after it had ceased to existETAuto | October 29, 2015, 20:04 IST

TOKYO: Unveiling the new Go-Cross crossover concept, Datsun has expressed its plans to start expanding to new high growth markets such as Africa, Middle East, South East Asia.

Datsun made a re-entry into the world of automotive last year, when Nissan launched the brand in India in March 2014, nearly three decades after it had ceased to exist. Datsun Go was the first car to be launched which was followed by Go+ later in the year.

The company said that since then, it has sold over 100,000 Datsun cars, combined in India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.

This is a significant day for Datsun as we have successfully completed the first phase of our return, said Vincent Cobee, Global Head of Datsun. "Our expansion plan include continued growth of sales and service network in the four existing markets, while expanding the our offering to three models in India."

Datsun is all set to launch a new entry level hatchback in India early in 2016. It will be the first Nissan model which will be based on the CMF-A platform, the one used in the recently launched RenaultKwid. This platform has been jointly developed by the two companies under the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

Talking about the newly unveiled concept, the company informed that it shares the same platform as Datsun Go+ and borrows design features from the it. "The concept showcases the brand's vision for possible expansion of Datsun Go/Go+ family inthe high growth markets."